Egg-tester.



F. F. STONE.

EGG TESTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-7, 1915.

Patented J an. 9, 1917.

FREDERICK F. STONE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

EGG-TESTER.

Application filed August 7, 1916.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK F. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Egg-Tester, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to egg testers, and especially to the class of egg testers or candling devices depending on a source of light and directing the light rays into each egg being tested thereby.

The invention has, as one of its objects, the idea of providing an egg tester of such shape and construction that will enable the person testing eggs therewith, who will hereinafter be referred to as the operator, to perform the testing in daylight and more rapidly and with less detriment to the eyes of the operator and with greater case than has heretofore been accomplished.

Another object of the invention is to provide an egg tester with adjustable means for properly holding an ordinary incandescent electric globe or bulb, and for holding improved electric bulbs of different kinds and sizes, in proper relation to the light opening; also to provide for reflecting the light from all sides of the light-chamber and projecting the thus reflected light through the light opening, thereby obtaining the greatest possible efficiency.

Another object is to provide for quickly and easily replacing defective electric light globes or bulbs, or exchanging one kind or size of bulb for another kind or size.

Another object is to provide a device combining the foregoing characteristics with simplicity and economy in the cost of manufacture.

For the purpose of carrying the foregoing objects into effect, I employ the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete egg tester exclusive of the source of electro-motive force necessary for effecting the light. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View, taken near the median line or plane of the device, that is, the section extends from front to rear of the device, approximately along line 2-2, Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail view, illustrating the light chamber extended or adjusted for properly holding a relatively long electric light bulb,

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Serial No. 113,641.

such, for instance, as the tungsten or other improved lamp of high candle power. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line H, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view of the piece of sheet metal partially formed and ready to receive the final bend or curvature which converts it into a hood such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawings, similar reference characters correspond to similar parts throughout the several views.

The hood 10 is preferably formed of a single piece of sheet metal, so as to constitute a one-piece hood, as illustrated. In forming this hood, the sheet is formed with a V- no-tch, and flanges 10 and 10 are turned in opposite directions. l/Vhen the sides of the V-notch are brought together, this eflects the curving of the sheet, and when the flanges 10 and 10 are hooked together or interlocked, the inherent spring of the sheet metal retains these flanges in their interlocked relation, thereby retaining the curvature or the concavo-convexed shape of the hood. However, rivets, bolts or solder may be employed for supplementing the spring of the metal in retaining engagement of the flanges, when desired. The hood is provided with an aperture or light-opening 10 and with apertures 10, and through these latter apertures may extend bolts or rivets 11 by means of which the outer member, or receiver, 12 of the light-chamber is secured to the hood 10.

The member 12 is provided with an aperture or light-opening 12 which registers with the light-opening l0when the hood 10 and the receiver 12 are secured together by the fasteners 11 as shown in Fig. 2. At 13 is shown means for securing the device to the top of a table or shelf 16, or any proper form of support may be provided. In case it is desired to use the device without any such fastening means, or in case it is desired to exclude light which might be reflected up through the open bottom, the hood 10 may be seated flat upon a shelf or table, so that none or only a portion of the hood projects from the edge of such support. All the terminal points of the lower end of this hood and of the light chamber lie in a common horizontal plane, so that the tester sits flrm upon a table or other horizontal surface and conforms so closely to such horizontal surface as to almost entirely exclude light except through the front of the hood and through the light opening or tubular extension 10 For the purpose of holding the electric bulb 14 and reflecting the light thereof through the light openings 10 and 12, I provide an inverted-cup-like member the inner wall and ceiling of which are bright or mirror-like. This member or light holder is open at its bottom when detached or removed from the receiver 12, so that easy access may be had to the bulb 1th, for removing or replacing the latter; but when the mem ber 15 is seated in the receiver 12, as shown in Fig. 2, the bottom 12 of the receiver closes the opening at the lower end of the light holder 15. This bottom 12 is also a refiector, so that substantially the whole inner surface of the light chamber reflects the light instead of absorbing any considerable amount thereof. By thus reflecting the light back and forth from every direction, the

greater portion of the light generated in the bulb 1a is projected through the light openings at 10 and 12 so that the operator utilizes the maximum of light, thus supplied, and the maximum efficiency is obtained.

The light holder and reflector 15 is provi ded with a notch or slot 15 which extends from the lower edge of the member 15 to a point suflieiently far above the upper securing member 11 to avoid interference therewith either while removing or replacing the light holder, or when the latter is seated in the receiver. This light holder is designed especially to receive and properly hold electric bulbs of different kinds and sizes. When an ordinary 40-candle-power bulb is employed, the holder 15 may rest on the bottom 12*, but when a larger or longer bulb is employed, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the holder 15 is suitably elevated, and is held in its elevated position by frictional contact of its outer convex surface against the inner concave surface of the receiver 12. The notch 15 permits of this adjustment without affecting the light openings 10 and 12*. Any suitable means may be providedat 18 for attaching the electric bulb to the top 15 of the member 15. At the front of the light opening 10 I provide a tubular extension 10 through which the light projects, thereby facilitating the handling of eggs while they are held as near as possible to the light opening.

In testing or candling eggs with this device, the operator has his case or supply of eggs directly under the light opening, and raises the eggs in a vertical path, or rectilinearly, to the candling position, before the light opening. This operation is made possible because of the open or entirely unobstructed lower end of the hood 10. This provision of the unobstructed rectilinear path of the eggs, from the supply source to the light opening, results in the saving of and it also results in the saving of eggs that would be broken by an operator in trying to pass an obstruction and hastening-to make up lost time occasioned by such obstruction as is common in egg testers known heretofore.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. An egg tester comprising a bottomless egg-receiving hood having a rearwardly inclined top or covering and a light opening between the top or covering and the lower end which latter is concavo-convexed, the space below said light opening and extending past the lower end of the hood being entirely unobstructed.

2. An egg tester comprising an egg-receiving hood formed with a concavo-convexed side having a light opening therethrough and with an inclined upper end arranged to shade the concaved side around the light opening and with all terminal points of its lower end lying in a common plane.

3. An egg tester comprising an exposure hood consisting of a single piece of sheet metal formed with oppositely turned converging flanges interlocked so as to render said sheet of metal concavo-eonvexed, said hood also being provided with a light opening therethrough.

t. An egg tester comprising a eoncavoconvexed exposure hood or shade provided with a light opening therethrough and having its concaved side unobstructed and of a dark color.

5. An egg tester comprising a concaveconvexed exposure hood having a light opening therethrough and having a rearwardly inclined top portion, the coneaved side of said hood being entirely unobstructed so as to accommodate the vision and the hands of the operator without interference therewith, and means for holding a light at said light opening, said means being secured to the convexed side of the said hood.

6. An egg tester comprising a hood hav ing an opening therethrough, a light holder provided with a. light exit, and a receiver having a light opening therethrough, said receiver being secured to the convexed side of said hood so that the light openings of said receiver and hood are in registration, said light holder being fitted into said receiver so that its light exit registers with said light openings, said light holder being adjustable to different heights and held in.

such adjustment by frictional contact with said receiver.

7. An egg tester comprising a concavoconvexed hood having its concaved side of a substantially non-reflecting character or color and having an aperture therethrough, a cylindrical receiver having its lower end closed and its upper end open and having an aperture communicating with the aperture of said hood, and a light holder consisting of a cylindrical member having an open bottom and a closed top and having a notch in its convexed side, said light holder being snugly held in any of a plurality of difi'erent positions within the wall of said receiver by frictional contact of said receiver with said light holder, said notch communicating with said apertures in each of said positions, the inner wall of said light holder being highly reflective.

8. An egg tester comprising an egg-receiving hood having a substantially vertical concavo-conveXed rear portion with an aperture therethrough and having a concavo-conveXed top portion extending forwardly and upwardly from said rear portion, the front or concaved side of said hood being unobstructed below said aperture and between said top portion and said aperture; an apertured light holder; and a receiver for said light holder, said receiver being secured to the conveXed rear side of said hood and being adapted to hold said light holder in position to project light through the aperture of said hood.

9. An egg-testing hood comprising a normally vertical concaved portion having a light-opening ther'ethrough above the lower end of said concaved portion and being entirely unobstructed throughout said concaved portion so as to admit the hands and the vision of a person without intervention of any part of the device between the hands and vision of said person while testing eggs or while introducing an egg or eggs to be tested in said hood.

10. A bottomless egg-testing hood comprising a normally vertical concaved portion having a light-opening therethrough, and means whereby said hood may be supported over the eggs to be candled and in such relation thereto that a straight and unobstructed path is provided between the eggs and the said light opening.

FREDERICK F. STONE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

